Professions of DesireLesbian and Gay Studies in LiteratureEditor(s): George E. Haggerty, Bonnie Zimmerman
Pages: xii & 246 pp.
Published: 1995
ISBN: 9780873525633 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780873525626 (hardcover)
"This insightful and groundbreaking volume is full of unexpected pleasures and is sure to be a foundational work in gay studies for years to come.... A readable, serious addition to the literature."

Choice

Professions of Desire includes examples of lesbian and gay literary analysis and thoughtful discussions about what it means to be lesbian, gay, or queer in the literature classroom. The four essays in the first section, "Teaching Positions," examine teaching from a theoretical perspective, analyze the role of the professor in the classroom, and seek to redefine what instructors ask of their students as well as of themselves. In "Canons and Closets," five essays discuss curricular and organizational shifts related to lesbian and gay studies. "Sameness and Differences" presents five essays that explore the influence of race, gender, and sexuality on gay and lesbian identity. Finally, the section "Transgressing Subjects" gathers four critical readings of various works.